Rescuers return to the Nakusp Marina with the survivor of a small plane crash on the morning of Aug. 24. The pilot is pictured wrapped in a red blanket.
NAKUSP, B.C. – One person is dead and another has been injured after a small float plane crashed into the Upper Arrow Lake in front of Nakusp Wednesday morning.
Nakusp resident Ray Lythgoe was taking a stroll along the Nakusp waterfront shortly after 8 a.m. He heard a plane engine sputter and die, and looked up to see the descending plane.
"I heard the motor go dead," Lythgoe said, "then a big splash." Conditions were sunny and calm at the time.
Lythgoe says he ran to the nearest phone and called 911. He was one of many who witnessed the crash and called it in.
Arrow Lakes Search and Rescue and the Nakusp Volunteer Fire Department were dispatched, speeding on small boats towards the downed plane, which was floating about 500 to 600 metres offshore from the Nakusp Marina.
Shortly afterward, rescuers on a small boat returned to the marina carrying the pilot of the plane. The man sat upright, bundled in a blanket. He was treated and transported to the nearby Arrow Lakes Hospital by ambulance.
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Annie Linteau now confirms there were two people on the plane. The passenger is deceased.
Recovery operations are ongoing, and RCMP and search & rescue divers are scheduled to attend the scene shortly.
The crashed plane has been lashed to a barge to prevent it from sinking, and it is currently being moved back towards the marina.
Linteau said there is no indication as to what caused the crash, but she confirmed the plane was attempting a landing when things went wrong.
It was a clear, sunny morning and the lake was glassy.
RCMP are not releasing the names of those involved until family members have been notified.
This story will be updated throughout the day as details become available. Check back to www.arrowlakesnew.com for more.
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